Bringing a Spanish Golden Age play to life with its mix of rural and urban, interior and exterior, working class and upper class settings in Studio One in The Lir was quite the challenge. The pace of the play was such that cumbersome scene changes would completely slow down the flow so having a space that could handle all of these places was essential and give society itself representation through the architecture. Each ope indicated another apartment or household beyond while the symmetry of the space allowed it to read as large open courtyards, cathedrals and palaces. Superfluous ornamentation was avoided and postmodern Spanish architecture became the base for this sculptural space. However with this being a Green Book Production, meaning all of the materials used had to be sustainably sourced or recycled from other productions as well as avoid the skip and have an afterlife, some sacrifices had to be made to the aesthetic to achieve goals. Working on a Green Book production made me really think not just about where our materials come from but where they go after the curtain has closed and is something I am taking forward into all my work.  

Director: Gemma Bodinetz
Lighting Design: Bill Woodland
Costume Design: Clodagh Deegan
Sound Designer: Denis Clohessy

Cast
Fintan Kinsella
Amy Macken
Molly McFadden
Hannah Nordberg
Marianna Fotopoulou
James Agnew
Jack Hassett
Dominic Raymond
Adam Dolan
Victor Mills
Charlotte Cleary
Jack Morey
Ella Tagg
Shaun O’Callaghan
Aoife Browne

Photography by Ste Murray